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Fort Conchúr
Fort Conchúr is a garrison of The Watch located in House Jackie, Duilintinn, close to the border of House Jameson and House Marvin. History Fort Conchúr was built during the Feadhainn Era, and still retains the circular architecture and intricate stonework of that age to this day. When Lord Jackie began his life as a vigilante, he took up residence in Fort Conchúr, which was nothing but a ruin at the time. It would become a sort of HQ for the young hero, later expanding to welcome all members of Sean’s questing party and eventually offered up for the use of The Watch. These various owners have repaired the structure over the years (mostly the floors) to the state you see it in today. Purpose Fort Conchúr technically serves the same purpose as Fort Stiofán and its stone walls are full of similar activity: bards, messengers, patrols, intense discussions of the threat at hand, etc. However, Fort Conchúr’s closer proximity to the Western Forest allows this garrison to be a launching point for any hunts or attacks upon The Enemy hiding beyond its borders. The atmosphere within has evolved to differ from its northern counterpart accordingly. Unlike Fort Stiofán’s environment of hushed concentration, analysis, defense, and anticipation of The Enemy’s movements and actions, Fort Conchúr seeks a way to strike first. Together, the offensive tactics from Fort Conchúr and defensive tactics from Fort Stiofán function as a cohesive unit. They are in close communication with one another, with messengers and ravens constantly traveling between the two garrisons. While each garrison is solely responsible for supplying and maintaining their four outposts, neither garrison will send orders to one of their outposts without conferring with the other garrison except when time is critical. However, despite all of this contact between them, Fort Conchúr and Fort Stiofán could not feel more different to the Watchers who live there. Fort Conchúr is the garrison that never sleeps. The Watchers within don’t just seek to watch The Enemy and anticipate his plans. Rather, in everything they do, they seek a way to actively fight back. Watching, in their minds, is no good if we cannot react to what we see… and I’m not inclined to disagree with them. Location Fort Conchúr is built into the side of a hill! Loch Glas is located in the lowest part of the Draoidh Valley, and Fort Conchúr is located very close to its eastern banks. It only makes sense that the fortress would be built into the side of the nearby slope. In addition, Fort Conchúr is very focused on the military side of fighting The Enemy, and having a body of water in front and a hill at its back is a pretty tactically defensive position. At the very least, the forces of The Enemy would have to get across TWO rivers and at least one outpost in order to sneak around the back to gain a height advantage. That high ground also happens to be in the lands of the most martially skilled region of the kingdom: House Jackie. Anyone who attempted this would most likely be facing a fight on two sides as fighters from House Jackie in the east come to reinforce the fighters from Fort Conchúr in the west. Plus, fortresses built into the sides of hills are just cool. Architecture Fort Conchúr is a massive circular fortress, built in the ancient style seen in Monacoil and Iolla Beacon. This architectural style was developed in Feadhainn, using precise stonework and as few corners as possible. The stone walls and echoing halls of Fort Conchúr’s imposing stonework are constantly illuminated with entertainment, color, and life from the creativity, joy, magic, and invention from House Jameson and House Marvin. Layout Though difficult to tell from my drawing, Fort Conchúr is built into the side of a hill. While the central courtyard of the fortress is dug about two stories below ground level, the hill’s slope has been preserved. This slope gives the garrison an interesting layout. As depicted on the right without the central keep, you can see that there are multiple gates and layers of buildings along the outer wall (see right image). Note that, with the exception of the stairs and hillside (of course) none of the surfaces are angled or ramped in any way. Rather than lowering to meet the ground, the hillside is rising to meet the end of the path to the courtyard. For a different perspective of what this would look like, here’s an earlier draft of the image at the very top of this page (see right image). At first, the ground drops, creating space for a second floor to be added in the structures underneath the walkway. However, when the ground rises up again on the other side, the walkway loses one story, dropping it to ground level. Living Spaces I referenced the structures seen underneath the walkways along the outer walls of Fort Conchúr. You can’t see much of them except for the doors and windows I added to indicate how many stories tall they are. These structures are meant to be living areas. Unlike in Fort Stiofán, privacy wasn’t the main priority when planning living spaces for the Watchers of Fort Conchúr. Instead, it was safety and mobility in case of an attack. Since Fort Conchúr is a military research base, Watchers come and go far more than they do at Fort Stiofán. The latter is a place of work, but in the former, the garrison is simply a staging point for further operations. To this end, living spaces are large, shared rooms that resemble a hostel. Each room holds multiple bunks, a washbasin, and nothing more. There aren’t assigned beds; Watchers just collapse in the nearest bunk at the end of the day. Personal belongings are stored in equipment rooms, and full-time residents are encouraged to bring as little with them as possible. Everything you’ll need to do your job will be provided to you at Fort Conchúr. Shops There are other important buildings in Fort Conchúr as well, besides the living spaces underneath the walkways. Namely, the shops on top of those walkways! These shops are fairly self-explanatory. Just like Fort Stiofán has a number of workshops built around its main courtyard for repairs, supplies, entertainment, etc, Fort Conchúr has some within its walls as well. The main difference is the sheer amount of shops. Some are run by former Watchers who wanted a more sedentary lifestyle but didn’t want to leave the garrison. Others are locals trying to do their part or make an extra buck. While the workshops at Fort Stiofán are sponsored by The Watch, many stores in Fort Conchúr are not. There are a few that are run by The Watch, offering free services to Watchers who need them to keep the garrison running, but the additional shops that would not be found in Fort Stiofán are independent efforts. Central Keep The central keep of Fort Conchúr was built primarily as a final stronghold in case of an attack. Round towers are remarkably strong, and the keep’s large size allows it to shelter thousands if necessary. Nowadays, it not only protects people, but the ideas upon which rest the hope of success for The Watch. Councils of soldiers discussing battle strategy, mages experimenting on unfamiliar magic and testing new spells, scouts reporting their findings from the deepest fringes of Enemy territory we dare tread… Everything new we learn about and from The Enemy passes through Fort Conchúr. Dark magics, horrible monsters, psychological horrors… the Watchers in the western garrison are not only the first to know when new danger is upon us, but they are the first to begin seeking out countermeasures as well. Fort Stiofán may seek to understand The Enemy, to find an answer that will finish this war once and for all, but in the meantime, Fort Conchúr is the garrison that has to react to his evil every single day. The results of their decades of effort are all found, created, perfected, and stored within the central keep of Fort Conchúr. It’s reasonable to assume that, if it falls, The Watch will fall with it. Category:Locations